Published: Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 6:21 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 6:21 p.m.

Kerry Chauvin, retired CEO of Gulf Island Fabrication Inc., is seen as an icon by many.

His “do-good” attitude and influence in the oil industry has led him to be highly respected, and most of all, remembered in Terrebonne Parish, said the people who have known him.

The 65-year-old, who worked as the company's CEO and board chairman for nearly three decades, officially retired from Gulf Island, 567 Thompson Road, Houma, on Jan. 1 because of health reasons, appointing Kirk J. Meche to take over the company.

“He is my mentor, and I hope that I learned everything he tried to teach me. It's been a pleasure working with him, and it's been an honor working alongside him. I look forward to moving this company forward. I am truly grateful for the opportunity he provided me,” Meche said.

John P. “Jack” Laborde, a member of the company's board of directors since 1997, will assume the role of chairman of the board.

Chauvin has been dealing with low-risk multiple myeloma, or cancer of the bone marrow, for three years, he said.

“It was dormant for a long time, and it became active again. I have been cancer-free since June, but I am keeping up with treatments and am going to make sure it doesn't come back,” he said. “I couldn't give 100 percent to the company, and it was unfair to many people. It's time to turn the reigns over to the younger people.”

As Chauvin leaves his legacy behind, he said he has no regrets. He said he is proud of his accomplishments and is thankful for the opportunity he was given at a time when the oil industry hit rock-bottom in the '80s.

“Delta Fabrication was bought out in the early '70s. The people that bought Delta paid a high price for it and couldn't pay their debt. The company flopped in the mid '80s. We couldn't pay our employees. Many people were out of a job, including me,” Chauvin said.

Chauvin entered into the oil industry in 1973 after finishing his two-year stint in the U.S. Air Force.

“I really wanted to be a banker. When I looked at the salary for bankers during that time, I said I could make more going in to the oil industry, so I went into the shipyard,” he said.

He joined the Delta Shipyard as the project manager and eventually made the switch to chief manager for Delta Fabrication.

After Delta went bankrupt in 1984, Chauvin received many calls to restart the fabrication business but declined, hesitant to go into a business with debt.

“In 1985, Ron Sanders approached me just as I was looking into starting my own small fabrication yard where I could work four days and fish three days out of the week,” he said. “He put an investor group together with six individuals, including Alden “Doc” Laborde and Huey Wilson. Doc and Huey put together 20 percent of the share and when the others had to get out of the company for their own reasons, Doc and Huey took 100 percent control.”

Gulf Island came about when the parish needed it most. Hundreds lost their jobs because of Delta's closure.

“Employment was at 26 percent in 1985,” Chauvin said. “Doc and Huey really were trying to put the people back to work, and I think we served our purpose of creating jobs.”

In an effort to help grow the company, Chauvin said it went public in April 1997.

“If we would have stayed private, we would have been limited in what we could do,” Chauvin said.

Before the company went public, it bought Dolphin Services LLC in Houma. In 2006, it bought Gulf Marine Fabricators LP in Texas. And as a way to diversify in 2008, it developed Gulf Island Marine Fabricators LLC, a shipping yard along the Houma Navigation Canal.

Gulf Island started with about 20 employees. Today, Meche said the company employs about 2,500 workers between its Louisiana and Texas locations with more than 1,200 of those workers employed in Houma. There are four locations in Houma — Gulf Island LLC, 583 Thompson Road, Dolphin Services LLC, 400 Thompson Road, Dolphin Steel Sales LLC, 567 Thompson Road, and Gulf Island Marine Fabricators LLC, 567 Thompson Road. The company's Gulf Marine Fabricators is in Aransas Pass, Texas.

Parish President Michel Claudet, who knows Chauvin from serving on the Synergy Bank Board in Houma, said Gulf Island still has a huge impact on the parish today.

“They have made some extremely good moves. One of our things that we always try to do is make certain that the electricity is hooked up to their yard after bad storms because they put so many people to work. We make certain that they are running and keeping our people working,” Claudet said.

Economist Loren Scott, a retired LSU professor who taught Chauvin, said he always knew Chauvin would be successful in whatever career he chose.

“I always said Kerry was one of those students that always made the grades. I can't over emphasize how he managed a company like he did and still did it well. In that type of environment, team managerial skills are dependent. He did it, and he pulled it off. He was smart,” Scott said.

Even one of his competitors, Donald “Boysie” Bollinger, CEO of Bollinger Shipyards Inc. in Lockport, said he admired Chauvin's drive.

“Kerry was an extremely successful CEO. He had a tremendous mentor with Doc Laborde. He had a wonderful career and grew the business successfully in some very difficult times. We began competing just recently. We did compete for people, but most of his career we were friendly.”

Even though Chauvin said he misses the company dearly, he is still taking part in consulting work for the company.

“I am willing to help in any way, shape or form with going forward. I will be tied in, but somewhat at a distance. I am very confident in Mr. Meche and his ability. Laborde is also an excellent chairman. He (Jack) and his father (Doc) have a tremendous role in the company. Going forward, I think the company is in great hands. If not, I can always come back,” he laughed.

Staff Writer Sable LeFrere can be reached at 985-857-2204 or at sable.lefrere@houmatoday.com.

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